Director of Development

Expansion team

Remote, Full time

Applications for this position are now closed.

Mission of the role:

We seek a strategic and dynamic leader to drive fundraising, strengthen donor partnerships, and ensure long-term sustainability. The ideal candidate has experience in resource mobilization, donor relationship-building, and strategic planning, with a commitment to equity and ethical fundraising. They will collaborate across teams and with external partners to align funding efforts with impact goals, fostering innovation and long-term growth.

This role will be a critical member of the Expansion Team. This team is responsible for finding new partnerships across the Global South as well as GSL’s gender work. They work closely with other non-profit organizations, funders, and community members to determine opportunities for us to partner with others to advance our mission of driving educational improvement across the Global South through a focus on school leadership.

In this role, you will

We are looking for a skilled relationship builder with fundraising expertise to join our team as a Director of Development. In this role, you will:

Lead Fundraising & Resource Mobilization: Develop and execute comprehensive fundraising campaigns across multiple channels, actively managing relationships with grants, individual donors, and corporate partners. You will also write compelling grant proposals and fundraising materials while continuously prospecting new funding opportunities.
Build and Manage Donor Relationships: Lead donor cultivation efforts by organizing meetings with major donors, creating personalized stewardship plans, and maintaining regular communication to ensure strong retention. You will develop new revenue streams by attending industry events, building relationships with foundations and corporate partners, and implementing systems to track and strengthen these relationships over time.
Integrate GSL Strategy and Fundraising: Translate organizational priorities into compelling funding proposals and presentations, adapting communication styles and messaging for different donor audiences. You will represent the organization at public events, deliver persuasive presentations, and communicate effectively in English with Spanish-speaking stakeholders when needed.
Demonstrate Cultural & Ethical Competencies: Champion equity and inclusion in all fundraising initiatives while ensuring transparent and ethical fundraising practices. You will incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into donor engagement strategies and maintain clear communication about the use of funds.
Lead & Collaborate Across Teams: Coordinate with cross-functional teams to align fundraising efforts with programmatic goals, managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously. You will collaborate closely with program staff to develop funding proposals, work effectively with remote team members across time zones, and partner with research institutions and implementing partners to demonstrate impact and ensure sustainability.
Work Nimbly and Flexibly: Play a key supporting role in the Expansion Team and broader organization, contributing to a range of strategic and operational projects. While budget development and resource allocation will be a key focus, you will also provide general and targeted support as needed—ranging from project coordination to developing key materials that advance GSL’s growth efforts. Your ability to adapt, collaborate across teams, and manage multiple priorities will be essential in ensuring the success and sustainability of expansion initiatives.

Candidate Qualifications

Required Qualifications

(we will use these in our screening process; if you do not meet each of these, you will be denied)

At least 10 years of experience in leadership positions within organizations that rely on fundraising, whether in the social, public, or private sector.
Proven success in leading development projects, including strong grant writing and proposal development skills as well as the ability to diversify funding sources and build a sustainable revenue model.
Experience in partnership development, including experience in major donor cultivation, stewardship, and retention.
Demonstrates a generalist mindset with the ability to adapt quickly, learn new skills, and willingly contribute to tasks outside of primary responsibilities as organizational needs arise.
Fluency in English.
Proficiency in Spanish (B2 or above).
Living in the Global South (Africa, Asia, Latin America).

Preferred Qualifications

(these will not be used for screening purposes; if you feel you have some but not all of these, you are still encouraged to apply)

Strong analytical skills to assess funding trends and donor priorities
Experience developing and implementing fundraising strategies that align with organizational goals and promote long-term sustainability
Strong public speaking and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas to different audiences
Experience leading fundraising teams or working cross-functionally with program and finance teams
Project management experience, with a proven ability to manage multiple deadlines while maintaining high-quality standards
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in fundraising practices
Understanding of the Global South development sector

The Life of a Director of Development at GSL

What your day looks like

Work hours and structure: This is not a 9–5 job. Because GSL team and partners are working across multiple time zones, you may have either early morning (as early as 5 am) or late evening (as late as 11 pm) calls. This is a full-time role and you should expect to work about 40 hours per week, with some weeks being heavier or lighter. You should be available each day from 11 am – 2 pm UTC, for teamwide and cross-time-zone internal meetings.
Schedule flexibility: We are a fully remote organization and apart from meetings, you can organize your work in a way that suits you best, with lots of flexibility in when and where you work. Please note that in this role you will be working with many external stakeholders and across teams at GSL, so you will need flexibility in your schedule to accommodate these meetings.
Working style: You will work with your manager to determine priorities each week, but we trust you to manage your projects and time independently.
Dynamic environment: Your days will be varied and engaging, including collaborating with colleagues and partners around the world, taking part in diverse projects, and balancing virtual meetings with focused, independent work.
Travel: You’ll travel internationally for conferences, donor meetings, partner meetings, and team meetings. Travel will vary, but please expect this to be frequent.

What is rewarding about the role

You will work alongside a kind, compassionate, and hardworking team.
Your voice will matter — you will have opportunities to lead and take part in decisions.
You will be supporting school leaders around the world and helping them to better support students and their instruction.
You will be contributing to building knowledge around key issues for education, such as foundational literacy and numeracy, and early childhood education, improving conditions for students who are most marginalized.

What is challenging about the role

This is not a 9–5 job. You may have early morning (as early as 5 am for those in the western hemisphere) or late evening (as late as 11 pm for those in the eastern hemisphere) calls.
It can be lonely working in a remote space across many time zones.
The work is fast-paced and requires juggling many projects at the same time.

Work Location and Remuneration

El o la candidata puede residir en cualquier país, con una fuerte preferencia por quienes se encuentren en el Sur Global (África, Asia y América Latina). Debe contar con autorización para trabajar en su lugar de residencia, ya que GSL no puede patrocinar visas de empleo. También debe tener disponibilidad para viajar tanto a nivel internacional como dentro de su país. El salario y el título serán acordes con la experiencia y competitivos dentro del sector educativo sin fines de lucro en el país donde resida el o la candidata; por ejemplo, en México, entre MXN 875,076 y MXN 1,084,730; en Kenia, entre KES 4,620,628 y KES 5,727,653; o en Malasia, entre MYR 170,679 y MYR 211,571.

Commitment to Diversity

GSL is an equal-opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all employees - across nationalities, races, ethnicity, religions, economic backgrounds, sexual orientations, disabilities, languages, ages, genders, and prior experiences. In our hiring, we seek those with an inclusive mindset and who notice and correct inequities when they arise.

Child Safeguarding

GSL is committed to safeguarding children. Background checks may be conducted as part of the hiring process. All team members are asked to agree to a safeguarding policy.

Applications for this position are now closed.

What we look for

Passion

You believe passionately that students can achieve at high levels, that education systems can be designed to ensure that achievement, and that developing school leaders is a key element in doing so.

Learning

You love to learn - from others, from research, from your work - and you are open to saying that you do not know the answer to a question, but that you will go and find the answers. You are also willing to help others on the team learn and are generous with your knowledge.

Leadership

You welcome opportunities to lead. Because we are a small team, everyone has a voice and has opportunities to lead meetings and projects.

Relationships

You set a high bar for yourself and for others both in the work you produce and in the way you form relationships. You demonstrate care for others, and you think about the impact you have on those around you. You seek out, listen to and value the voices of those closest to children - students, teachers, school leaders, and our partners.

Self-Starter

You are a self-starter and great at managing your time. Because of our remote work, you will have a very flexible schedule but high expectations for what you accomplish during your work time. (Please note, though, that due to our team being spread across the globe, meetings may need to be scheduled at very early morning hours (5 or 6am) or very late evening/night hours (10 or 11pm).

About GSL

School leaders have the potential to make incredible changes in the lives of students by building a strong school culture and helping teachers provide great instruction. Yet, school leadership has not been prioritized in low and middle-income countries. GSL works to change that through the following workstreams:

We catalyze and support local partner organizations to deliver and scale high-quality training to school leaders.
We generate insights from our partners and the broader research community to inform education policymakers, researchers, and practitioners on the best ways to support and develop strong school leadership.
We connect our partner organizations with each other for deep learning between themselves and amongst the broader school leadership community - governments, funders, and policymakers.

We are a small but mighty remote team spread across the globe. We care about each other, and we care about the work.

Our Culture Cards

En cinco años, hemos:

Establecido alianzas con organizaciones en India, Indonesia, Malasia, Kenia y Brasil que trabajan con más de 3,500 líderes escolares, impactando aproximadamente a 920,000 estudiantes.
Publicado una revisión de evidencia sobre lo que se sabe acerca del liderazgo escolar a nivel global, así como dos encuestas que ayudan a la comunidad de políticas públicas a escuchar las voces de docentes y líderes escolares.
Nos hemos convertido en una de las voces líderes en las conversaciones sobre liderazgo escolar en el sur global, siendo invitados a conferencias y seminarios web en todo el mundo, y siendo reconocidos por nuestro trabajo. En 2021, HundrED, en asociación con el Banco Mundial, reconoció a GSL como una de las diez soluciones más impactantes y escalables para apoyar el desarrollo profesional docente.
Establecido la Red de Liderazgo Escolar junto con el Grupo de Trabajo Internacional sobre Docentes para la Educación 2030, auspiciado por la UNESCO y la Fundación Varkey, para organizar reuniones en línea con más de 100 expertos y 400 líderes escolares de más de 50 países, fomentando el aprendizaje entre pares, el intercambio de prácticas innovadoras y el fortalecimiento de la voz de los líderes escolares en los círculos de política educativa.
Ampliado nuestro trabajo para responder a las necesidades durante la COVID en Filipinas, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria y Perú.